


The End of the Line

by ricoh8



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Endgame, Fix-It-Fic, M/M, Post-Endgame, Spoilers, Stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-01-31 18:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ricoh8/pseuds/ricoh8
Summary: This is a Fix-it-Fic for Avengers: Endgame. Steve's story arc could have taken a completely different turn, if he had just allowed someone else to go back in time with him.





	The End of the Line

The air was still.

Time, frozen.

Pepper Potts moved toward the lake, its waters lapping against the shore next to her family home. The solid dock creaked as she moved, heels tapping softly as she came to a stop. She bent down slowly, a bed of flowers in her hand, cushioning one of Tony Stark’s Arc Reactors. Carefully, she dipped the flowers into the water, letting them bob around, adjusting to their new home. The bed began to slow in its new environment, stilling its movement where Pepper had placed it. Then, in a way that could only be described as gentle, the flowers began to drift away, carrying the memento further in to the dark lake. It was ironic, a dark lake, almost as if the water knew it was carrying the weight of a death. 

This was what war looked like, the people left behind, left to mourn for those lost to the fight. Their final bid for survival against Thanos had worked. He was finally gone, and everyone else had come back as well. In the bigger picture, what had happened was a great success. 

But war is never kind.

Bucky didn’t care much for Stark, he had tried to murder Bucky after all. But regardless of their past, Stark was the one to sacrifice himself to save them all in the end, and that was a noble thing for him to do, the right thing for him to do. And Bucky respected any person that would take that risk; he respected Stark.

Bucky let his eyes wander from where Pepper was standing to those who stood around him. It was an interesting though that several years ago these people were looking to capture or kill him, and in turn he had been trying to assassinate them. Bucky had to remind himself every day that the person he was trained to be was not the person he was now. He was brainwashed by those who sought to use him as a weapon. And that wasn’t quite fair either, what they did to him; dragging him around like some sort of dog with an invisible choke collar, freezing him in a cryo chamber whenever he wasn’t needed. He would always be thankful to Shuri, for working out how to extract disease they injected into his brain. Otherwise, what would he be now? Still a mindless being, fighting against those who now stood by his side.

Bucky turned his head to look at Sam, that asshole. He wasn’t really an asshole, but he and Sam has an interesting way of joking with each other, similar to how he joked with Steve. They had gotten to know each other during the times when he travelled with Steve to Wakanda to see him. It was always interesting talking to Sam. They had similar experiences, albeit from different times in history. Their dynamic slowly grew to a point where Bucky thought he might almost be able to call the man his friend.

It had been hard the last time they’d seen each other in Wakanda, fighting for a war they ultimately lost. None of them thought they would lose, although Bucky didn’t really know how they would win. He believed when Sam and Steve told him they needed to win, so they would. But they didn’t.

It was a strange feeling, disappearing from the world. In a way, it felt like falling asleep, starting with your hands and feet, and moving through your body until finally your head slept, and that was it. However, there were no dreams in this sleep, just the void. In a way, it reminded Bucky of how it felt to be placed in the cryo chamber. In that cold tank you’d slowly fall asleep, frozen into a state of calm being, where nothing could touch you until you were woken up. The only difference Bucky could see between the two was that waking up from disappearing hurt a lot less. There was no cold, there was just nothing, until there was something.

Bucky turned his attention back toward the water where Pepper was making her way back from the dock, trailed by her young daughter. That was the saddest part of all this of course. A child growing up in a world without a parent. He could remember losing his parents as a child, although he could not remember their faces or the emotions he fought while it happened. Those memories proved hard to bring back into his mind. He did remember how Steve looked after he’d lost his Mother though, the scrawny kid who seemed to carry the whole world on his shoulders. Steve was devastated when it happened, even though he’d known for a while that it was coming. Steve wasn’t a child when it happened, but he wasn’t completely grown in the world yet. He thought that’s what broke Steve the most. He remembered the dejected look in his eyes as Steve stared back up at him, and it was heart breaking. Stark’s kid would be going through the same thing, although at this point, she probably wouldn’t completely understand what it meant when everyone told her her father wasn’t going to be coming back.

Pepper passed where Bucky was standing, the tears lining her eyes were apparent. He let his eyes follow her as she moved lethargically toward her front steps. Her daughter was trailing next to her, following her mother’s pace, and staring up at her with a slight look of confusion. For someone so young, not having lost someone before, it would obviously be a confusing time. Bucky hoped she might be able to understand loss in time.

A strong hand landed on Bucky’s shoulder, pulling his vision away from the scene before him.

Steve.

It was always Steve.

His eyes were a shining vibrant blue, in contrast to his red rimmed eyes. His cheeks were blotched with emotion, and the cuts littering his face were almost completely healed. The super serum was still working it’s wonders for him.

“Are you alright?” Bucky asked, staring back up at the man whose grip was slowly loosening on his shoulder.

Steve sighed out a big breath, “I don’t know.” he replied honestly, “I just wish there had been something more I could have done.”

Bucky turned his body so it was facing him, Steve’s hand dropping from his shoulder and his face with it. Bucky watched for a moment, knowing the tears were slowly falling from Steve’s eyes. Emotions were something Steve was almost powerless to stop. Almost. Bucky raised his hand and placed it carefully on Steve’s shoulder, slowly bringing it up toward the back of his neck. Bucky could feel the tension within his neck, slowly decreasing as his hand moved. The small hair covering Steve’s skin began to stand slightly, and smaller bumps appeared as his hand came to a halt.

Steve looked up then, his emotions starting to obey him. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hands, taking a deep breath in to try and pull himself together. It was then Bucky pulled Steve in, wrapping his spare arm around his waist. Steve fell into the embrace, clutching his own arms around Bucky’s middle. Bucky could feel the rise and fall of Steve’s chest as he held him there. The soft push of their chests together increased as Steve clutched Bucky tighter, dropping his face into the shoulder of the other man. Bucky knew there were some final tears escaping from Steve’s clenched eyelids, but they would disappear soon. Bucky just needed to hold Steve until he was finished, and when he was finished, Bucky would let go.

Steve’s breathing slowed down considerably during the minutes they stood there. Most of the others who had been standing and watching the docks had retreated in to the house, following Pepper’s lead.

“You know… the last few conversations I had with him weren’t the best.” Steve whispered.

“He knows you cared for him Steve,” Bucky muttered into Steve’s hair, “even if the final conversations you had weren’t the best.”

Steve pulled back from Bucky then, stepping slightly away so that they would be able to speak properly. Bucky missed the warmth Steve pulled with him.

“It’s just hard to comprehend that he’s gone. I thought he would be the one to outlive all of us, if I’m honest. Probably from being too stubborn to die.” Steve said, his sad smirk dropping to a scowl.

Bucky gave a slight frown, quickly shaking it away. “He gave his life for everyone though, I do think that’s a pretty noble thing for him to do.” 

Steve produced a sad smile again. “I guess you’re right, being the saviour of the universe isn’t a bad title to leave with.”

The two men stood for a moment, staring knowingly at each other. Steve had really cared for Stark, just as Bucky cared for Steve. It made him sad knowing that Steve was sad, and although comfort was all that he could give, something he didn’t believe he was very good at, it seemed to be helping somewhat anyway. Steve didn’t look like he was going to cry anymore, which Bucky thought was probably for the best. The other people waiting inside of the house behind them looked up to Steve as a benchmark for strength in the face of adversity. And Bucky knew Steve was thinking the same thing.

“Come on,” Steve said, delicately wiping his face for a final time. “Let’s head inside”

 

~

 

“I’ll go.” Steve stated defiantly.

Bucky sat somewhat on the outskirts of the conversation ensuing in front of him. Sam sat by his side. Neither of them had had any experience with this so called ‘time travel’ that everyone had been discussing for weeks. The Infinity Stones were sitting in a silver case in the middle of the table they were all mulling around. It was strange to think that only weeks ago those stones caused the destruction of the creatures they were fighting against. There was a lot of dangerous power sitting in that case.

It had been a very long discussion, trying to work out how these stones were going to be able to slot back in to their original timeline, or so Bucky was told. Time travel wasn’t something Bucky had a lot of experience in understanding, clearly. Bruce Banner seemed to be the one taking control of understanding all of that. They had told him Stark was the one who was able to perfect the machine that could make a man travel through time; of course he was.

“Are you sure? You haven’t travelled to any planets outside of Earth before. It could be a bit distressing, especially going alone.” Banner stated with a concerned look in his eye.

“Look, I want to do this. I want to put these stones back where they came from. I don’t want to think of the possibility of anyone else having to put their hand up to complete this mission.” Steve talked in an authoritative way. “I may not have been to any planet outside of Earth, but I know I will be able to do it.”

Steve really was stubborn sometimes.

“We’ve spent weeks going over every detail of where the stones were taken from, the exact point in time they need to be given back, all of it. We all know the environment they exist in, the precautions that need to be taken to complete this mission. I can do it alone, just let me.”

Silence consumed the table. Bucky looked around at those who had been working on understanding this mission for the weeks before. Every one of them played a part in taking the stones. It had taken all of them to get them to the present in the first place, yet none of them seemed to protest Steve’s statement that he could put them back alone.

“So, we’re all in agreement then?” Steve asked, looking around the table. His eyes landed on Bucky’s. The look Steve gave him in that moment was obvious. ‘Are you in agreement with this?’ his eyes seemed to radiate the question, but it was only for him. There was nothing Bucky would be able to say or do to talk Steve out of going. It’s not that he thought he shouldn’t go, but Steve had already sacrificed a lot to be sitting there with everyone else at that table. He seemed to always be the first one to put his hand up for anything dangerous; it was such a Steve thing to do.

So, no, Bucky didn’t agree, but there was no way Steve would stay even if he voiced his opinion. Despite his thoughts on the matter, Bucky slightly nodded his head toward the man, giving all the indication he needed to feel good about going through with this mission. Steve moved his eyes back to the majority siting at the table. He seemed confident enough in himself that he would be able to pull it off, and of course everyone voiced that they agreed. Steve had been through a lot in his lifetime, and one more mission added to his repertoire didn’t seem to faze anyone else.

“Then it’s settled, we’ll sort out any other issues over the next few days, and then the Infinity Stones will be going back to where they need to be.” Steve gave a curt nod, concluding the round table discussion.

He looked back toward where Bucky was sitting. They stared at each other for a moment, a silent conversation moving between their eyes. Not wanting to draw attention from the others around him, Bucky moved his gaze toward Sam, prompting a conversation about what they should eat that night. He could feel Steve’s gaze burning into the side of his head, before he himself moved away from the table, following the rest of the group.

Although in conversation with Sam, Bucky wasn’t really paying attention. Instead, his mind wandered to the possible outcomes of Steve completing this mission alone. If something was to go wrong, they would never know. It was a harrowing thought, not knowing. It was something Bucky had dealt with for quite some time. Not knowing when he would be woken up from cryo, not knowing when he would have his brain electrocuted, not knowing himself.

It wasn’t something he wanted to experience again with the man who had saved him from all of that. He wanted to help Steve, he wanted to make sure Steve would be safe. The question was, how was he going to get Steve to agree to that. Bucky figured he would talk to Steve that night, when everyone else had left or gone to their beds. It was hard having to live in Pepper’s home for the time being. She seemed to like the company, but he was sure she was getting frustrated with the amount of people needing to have a shower each morning. If they could stay back at the Avengers base, they would, none of them felt like intruding her space. The issue of it being blown up, however, did make it slightly harder to use that as accommodation.

And so, Bucky decided he would talk to Steve tonight. He would try to convince him it would be beneficial to them both if the mission involved Bucky too. He just hoped that Steve would agree.

 

~

 

“Steve?” Bucky said quietly.

Everyone else was either asleep or had confined themselves to their respective rooms. Steve and Bucky had been sitting on Pepper’s couch, watching some kind of television show that Bucky didn’t really care for. He had been biding his time throughout the day, waiting for the correct moment to discuss the proposition of the mission with Steve. After Steve had turned off the screen during the middle of a show, Bucky knew it was time to ask.

Steve, having been on his way to his bedroom, turned quickly back to face the other man. The slight upward twinge of his lips indicating he was happy to respond to him. “Yeah?”

“I’ll go with you.”

Steve stood still for a moment, computing what Bucky had just said to him. A frown began to grow on his forehead, not in anger, more so… confusion, Bucky thought.

“Buck, I don’t think you should. It’s going to be dangerous, and you’ve already been through so much-”

“Steve,” Bucky cut him off. “I’ve been through a lot. Most of my life experiences consist of being in a fight, or running away from it.”

Steve stared into Bucky’s eyes with a new expression; guilt. He needed to stop doing that. Nothing that had happened was Steve’s fault, it never would be.

“Steve, I want to take life into my own hands for once. I want to be able to choose where I go and what I do. I’ve been farming in Wakanda for the past two… well, for the two years before we all kind of, died, I guess.” Steve gave a sad smirk. “And that was great, for a time. To remember myself, and to see you, and just be a person without any missions or anyone telling me what to do. But now, I want to be something else. I want to do something good, something different. I just want to live, Steve.”

Steve stared at Bucky. It was probably the most Bucky had said in one conversation since before he was taken in by Hydra. He was beginning to understand the importance of communication with those around him. They would never be able to understand what he experienced, but if he could communicate what he was thinking or feeling, it was a step in the right direction.

“Bucky,” Steve whispered. “I don’t want you to get yourself involved in something that you don’t understand.”

It was Bucky’s turn to frown then. “It’s my life Steve. Let me choose.” He mumbled back.

Steve sighed, placing his head in one of his hands, pinching his brow. He wasn’t going to be able to talk Bucky out of this. He wanted to do something other than fight or run from fights. He wanted an adventure, one that he could choose to participate in.

“Look, I understand that. I understand that you want to be able to choose what you do. But this is different, and it’s still a mission. There’s a job to complete.” Steve stated.

“I know that Steve. But after everything I’ve gone through, completing a mission that I choose to work on is going to be more satisfying for me than anything else.”

Steve looked as if he was about to protest further. Bucky stepped forward slightly and let his hand land on Steve’s shoulder, pulling him out of his contemplation.

“We’ve always told each other were together till the end of the line. Just because the line now spans over time travel doesn’t change the words. I’m with you Steve. Let me be with you.” Bucky squeezed his hand where it was sitting on Steve’s shoulder. Those words were a promise to one another, and if they could keep that promise over the years when Bucky was a mindless assassin and Steve was frozen in ice, they could keep it now.

Steve sighed, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He stood for a moment, the contemplative frown loosening from his face. “I’ll talk to Banner about it and we can see what he thinks. I’m not sure if he’ll agree to it, but I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” Bucky said with a smile in his eyes, genuinely surprised that Steve would agree to ask.

“Don’t thank me yet, I haven’t even asked.” Steve stated with a small smile, causing Bucky to smile in turn.

“It’s the fact that you’re going to ask that’s made me thankful.” Bucky flicked his eyes to Steve’s face, before quickly looking away. He could have sworn for a moment that Steve’s cheeks radiated a pinker tone than normal. It was probably nothing; the rooms heating may have just been turned up. That had to be it, Bucky thought.

“Besides,” Bucky said. “I think Banner might agree that you need someone to watch out for you. You’re a bit of a loose cannon Rogers.”

Bucky turned on his heel with a smirk, leaving Steve flabbergasted behind him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bucky called, stepping into his bedroom and closing the door behind him with a soft click.

As Bucky laid down onto the too soft bed in one of the spare rooms of Pepper’s home, he thought to himself about what was to come in the following days. One thing was certain. He was ready to take his life into his own hands.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part to a ????? part fic. I watched Endgame and was overcome with the urge to write this. I think it would be an amazing story to tell and we were robbed of Stucky content in that movie.
> 
> If anyone could put their hand up to be my proof reader for the following chapters that would be amazing! I don't know how many chapters will end up in this story but I'm sure I'm going to need someone to go over it with me.
> 
> Please leave any comments and suggestions for this story, I will take everything into account!


End file.
